"This way please, Lord Satori Hyūga is expecting you in his office."
Hyūga Yui approached the group with a polite bow and guided them toward the back office.
Inside the office, Satori Hyūga sat on a luxurious genuine leather sofa, calmly sipping tea.
Seeing everyone enter, Satori adopted a commanding tone and immediately ordered, "Yui, prepare some tea for our guests."
Jiraiya walked over, stared wide-eyed at Satori, and exclaimed, "You're so young, yet already running a factory? You're going to grow up to be a heartless capitalist for sure!"
"Heh heh heh. I gotta admit though, your instant noodles do taste pretty damn good."
Thinking about the flavor, he couldn't help but wipe his mouth.
Kushina stepped forward, looking at Satori. "You're amazing! Quietly building this entire factory without saying a word and hiring so many people to work for you."
"Just don't end up exploiting them like those heartless bosses out there, or else I'll have to teach you a lesson with my fists!"
She teasingly raised her small pink fist.
Satori burst out laughing. "Hahaha, don't worry, I guarantee their wages will definitely be higher than most, and the benefits better too."
The capitalist mindset in this world was still in its early stages, nowhere near fully developed. Employee welfare remained generally poor across most regions.
After researching the industry's salary standards, Satori had raised wages significantly—now offering competitive, top-tier wages.
Turning his head, Satori noticed the caravan leader sitting nearby, nervously smiling while watching him.
He had assumed this was just another ninja, but never imagined he'd turn out to be a factory-owning boss—it was quite different from what he had imagined.
What's more, Satori's visibly active Byakugan clearly marked him as part of the noble Hyūga clan.
The Hyūga Clan was a true aristocratic family within the Land of Fire, held far higher status than common merchants.
The caravan leader bowed respectfully and said, "My name is Masao Tashiro. I wish to purchase your factory's produced instant noodles."
"If possible, I would like to purchase your entire output."
Originally, he had only planned to buy a few buckets to take home and try, but after witnessing the mass-production assembly lines producing large quantities of cup noodles, a new idea immediately formed in his mind.
Purchase a bulk order and resell them elsewhere.
Given how delicious and satisfying these noodles tasted, transporting them across the Land of Fire would surely fetch high prices.
He could even sell them outside the Land of Fire into other countries—a surefire profit.
"Oh, you've got a keen eye," Satori remarked.
"But I can't sell everything to you alone—you couldn't possibly manage all our production anyway."
Satori understood exactly what the man was thinking. He wanted to get in early, make a modest investment, and ride the wave of instant noodles' growing popularity.
But he underestimated the efficiency of assembly-line production. With such methods, huge quantities of finished instant noodles could be made in a short time.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Masao Tashiro's face before he heard Satori continue, "However, I can make you our Tier 1 distributor."
"As our Tier 1 distributor, you'll have priority access to stock, allowing you to distribute throughout the eastern towns of the Land of Fire."
Masao Tashiro opened his mouth to ask something when Satori added, "Within this region, you will be the only Tier 1 distributor."
"You can either sell in bulk to your subordinates or open a store to sell retail," said the Tier 1 distributor.
Tashiro Mao, a seasoned merchant, quickly grasped the benefits of being a Tier 1 distributor. Within the designated territory, there would be no competition, allowing him to establish a monopoly.
The drawback, however, was that he had to obey Satori Hyūga's every command, and losing his qualification meant losing everything.
He looked up at Satori Hyūga's half-smile, gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and said, "I agree."
He saw the immense potential in instant noodles and was ready to bet everything on it.
Satori Hyūga clapped his hands, called over Hyūga Yui, and had her bring out the Tier 1 distributor contract.
The contract clearly laid out all its terms, particularly one stating that failure to meet sales targets would result in revocation of distributor status.
Jiraiya watched Yui with envious eyes as she dutifully obeyed, her efficiency stirring his jealousy.
The old pervert was already imagining steamy office scenes in his mind, planning to weave them into his novel.
After signing the agreement, Satori led Tashiro to the warehouse where the instant noodles were stored.
The warehouse was massive, filled with countless cups of instant noodles. A worker pushed a cart carrying freshly-made ones, while another helped unload them.
Within moments, the stockpile of noodles grew dramatically.
"Mr. Tashiro, this is today's production amount. Since today is their first day, the workers are still getting the hang of things. Otherwise, the output could be even higher," explained Satori Hyūga.
Tashiro stared at the mountain of instant noodles before him and immediately realized how small-time he truly was.
If the daily output was already this large, then what he had said earlier must've sounded laughably naive.
He pulled out most of his savings and said, "I'll buy twenty thousand taels worth first—to test the waters."
"Great! You won't regret your decision today," Satori cheered, immediately ordering people to start loading the goods.
Making a sale on the very first day thrilled him.
Moreover, by recruiting suppliers, he wouldn't have to personally expand market connections himself—he could simply reap the rewards.
And due to their Tier 1 Distributor status, he could exert control over these merchants and use them for his own ends.
This move could truly be considered killing two birds with one stone.
Before long, Tashiro had taken a shipment away, while agreeing to return in two days for the remaining stock.
"Kid, are you not selling your instant noodles in Konoha?" Jiraiya asked.
He hoped to buy some once they hit the shelves to eat during his travels.
After all, the taste of these newly-invented noodles was genuinely incredible—far superior to almost any other food in existence.
Satori replied, "Of course we will sell in Konoha too, but also through wholesale channels. Regular instant noodles can be distributed by other sellers."
"If Professor Jiraiya wants to eat some, you'll be able to buy them from stores once production ramps up."
"But these are only the kind ordinary people eat. I'm currently working hard on developing special instant noodles specifically for ninjas."
Taking advantage of Jiraiya's question, he unveiled his ninja-exclusive version of instant noodles, capturing everyone's attention instantly.
"Could this be something similar to Military Rations Pills?" Minato Namikaze caught on first, surprised.
Satori Hyūga gave him an approving look and calmly remarked, "Instant noodles may taste good, but they're not nutritious. Compared to Military Rations Pills, they can't give ninja the nutrients and energy needed to recover their physical strength."
"One Military Rations Pill is equivalent to three to five packs of instant noodles. That doesn't make them very practical on a long march."
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>